According to the European Ccommission, to achieve climate neutrality, synergies between circularity and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions must be strengthened (Circular economy action plan, 2020). A multidisciplinary approach is needed for the fight against climate change and to build a more sustainable and resilient world achieved through the inclusion of a diverse group of people. That's the reason why 3 organisations from Germany (Tomorrow Together), Sweden (SwIdeas) and Lithuania (Lisva) came together to develop the re:GREEN project, a small-scale partnership project co-funded by the Erasmus Plus programme of the European Union.

The project aims to support prospective and current rural entrepreneurs in strengthening their businesses and ideas by transferring knowledge related to circular and resource efficient business models as well as to digitalization. Hence, re:GREEN aims to equip rural entrepreneurs with knowledge and skills to create and adapt sustainable, circular economy (CE) based business practices paving the way to a greener future.

PROJECT RESULTS

Preparation for the Training Content

The first re:GREEN project result is our Preparation for the Training Content. This consisted of gathering all the necessary information that will allow the partners to develop the consequent training modules with high-quality, relevant, inputs and knowledge. In order to do that, the consortium realized a situation analysis, surveys and focus groups in all countries (Germany, Lithuania and Sweden). We also collected different case studies of circular business models that can be of inspiration for (prospective) rural entrepreneurs. You can check all this on the button below!

Feel free to also check our infographics to discover more about our survey and focus groups results and see what are the rural entrepreneurs’ needs when it comes to digital and green skills!

Training for Rural Entrepreneurs: Strategy, Circular Economy and Digitalisation

Learning opportunities are a composite part of multiple transitions going on in the EU: Digital Transition, Green Transition, Sustainability Transition, and other transformations currently taking place across Europe. Accordingly, Rural Entrepreneurs (RE) are adult lifelong learners with greater needs and fewer opportunities (Fernandes & Kerneis, 2020). They are the target group under the Erasmus+ KA220 adult education Green and Digital Skills for Rural Entrepreneurs (re:GREEN) project (November 2022 - May 2024), which is co-funded by the Erasmus+ program.

The re:GREEN training package has been developed as a response towards the needs of (prospective) rural entrepreneurs in Germany, Lithuania, and Sweden. The training programme was created based on the results of the preparatory phase, which demonstrated a need to bolster the competences of (prospective) rural entrepreneurs in the fields of business management, as well as green and digital skills. For this reason, 6 training modules have been developed by the re:GREEN partners: two of them focusing on business strategy, two focusing on circular economy practices, and two dedicated to applying digital skills in communications and marketing.

The training content is complemented by a collection of funding opportunities in the partner countries, the video tour of a community café in Lithuania, as well as by the collection of Business Models.

The modules that compose the training resort to a non-formal methodology, placing the learner at the centre of the learning experience and can be delivered in online, physical, or hybrid settings.

The full training is composed of two files:

• Training Package: This includes a description of the trajectory that led to the development of the material as well as an overview of all the re:GREEN Training Content has to offer.

• Training Package Resources: Here, learners and facilitators will find a step-by-step guide to go through the re:GREEN Training Content. Each of the 6 modules follows the same structure, going from check-ins to main activities and including annexes with information that can be directly shared with learners during learning initiatives.

In short, the Training Content provides ready-to-use material for facilitators and rural entrepreneurs throughout Europe to deepen their knowledge around strategic, green and circular, as well as digital outreach skills.

The re:GREEN Consortium wishes you a happy learning journey!

Download the Material here!

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Contact the project coordinator

Julia Moreira - julia.moreira@swideas.se